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Letter: A scam against the taxpayers

By John Burnsfrom Willmar on Aug 31, 2013 at 1:00 a.m.

Did we really need a senior New Jersey judge, after a trial that lasted for years, to tell us that Zygi Wilf and his brothers are racketeers?

They pulled off an even bigger scam against Minnesota taxpayers, leaving them on the hook for a half-billion dollars, and probably a lot more. Members of both political parties, including Gov. Dayton, were so eager to bow before Zygi’s blackmail and to build a palace for him at public expense that they didn’t check his business practices which Judge Wilson found to be so egregious.

Remember that trial had been going on for years and should have produced plenty of red flags if our political elite had done a proper due diligence inquiry before giving Zygi a half-billion-dollar gift.

It is not a proper function of government to provide the masses with lowbrow, escapist entertainment. Sometimes government must provide some members of the public with bread, not with circuses. This is particularly true when, in the present instance, government has not adequately funded core governmental functions, such as educating children.

If this scheme goes forward, and it really should not go forward, Minnesota should demand a controlling ownership interest in the team and a first priority claim on all revenues, less reasonable expenses. Oh, and don’t let Zygi do the books.

A better solution at the national level is to break the monopoly power of the major leagues and the team owners and to subject them to free competition. Let the market work its magic.